10 things coming up in Chichester and Bognor

Things you won't want to miss...

1 Theatre. Hugh Bonneville and Liz White star in Shadowlands by William Nicholson at Chichester Festival Theatre (April 26-May 25). Celebrated writer C S Lewis, author of The Chronicles of Narnia, splits his time between an ordered domestic routine at home with his brother, Warnie, and the academic rigour of his dispassionate, all-male Oxford college. And then he meets New York poet Joy Gresham.

2 Theatre. James Nesbitt, Sheila Hancock, Clare Burt and Rachel Lumberg star in This Is My Family, a musical by Tim Firth in Chichester’s Minerva Theatre from April 20-June 15. Imagine you’re a spirited 13-year-old and you’ve won a magazine competition to describe your family...

3 Festival. University of Chichester student Jamie Cranfield was the kind of child who would always be diving under the table or talking into a fake mobile phone. He constructed a world in which his father, quietly working in his shed, was actually a villain. These are the thoughts he pours into his new show Agent 3.14 which he brings to the Brighton Fringe on May 20 and 21 at 7pm at The Pipeline, Little East Street.

4 Exhibition. Carol Wagstaff, Jenny Wightwick and Eve Chalcraft – artists based in and around Steyning – join forces for an exhibition called Artistic Licence – Taking Liberties with Reality in The Wilson Studio at Chichester’s The Oxmarket Gallery until 19. Carol explained: “The term artistic licence can describe distortion of facts, words, places… or of course, art and therein lay the opportunity for we three Sussex-based artists to take liberties with reality. In collaborating on this project, we step outside the boundaries of prescriptive visual art to create work to challenge that which is felt.”

6 Dance. Chichester’s mapdance company of young, dynamic dancers recruited nationally and internationally has announced its spring tour with performances across the south of England, including Chichester. Based at the University of Chichester, mapdance performs a diverse repertoire by renowned and upcoming choreo-graphers on Thursday, May 16. The booking office can be contacted on 01243 816000..

7 Music. One of the UK’s top Americana songwriters Jamie Freeman will be celebrating the release of his brand-new album Dreams About Falling with a free-entry in-store performance at Harbour Records, High Street, Emsworth on Saturday, May 18, 1pm.

8 Music. Fernhurst Choral Society will be joined by orchestra and soloists to perform Joseph Haydn’s colourful depiction of The Creation, conducted by Tim Ravalde (Saturday, May 18, 7.30pm). They return to Chichester Cathedral for a second evening concert after the success of Mendelssohn’s Elijah in 2017. Tickets from Fernhurst Choral Society website or on the door.

9 Festival. Vox Motus are promising story-telling at its most immersive for this year’s Brighton Festival. They bring Flight to the King Alfred Leisure Centre from Saturday, May 4-Thursday, May 23 in an experience which will take each individual audience member to the very heart of the action. You will watch the action unfold from your personal booth with the story and music in your headphones. Miniature images and models move slowly round in front of you, drawing you into a heart-wrenching journey undertaken by two brothers.

10 Art. An exhibition of oil paintings by Sue Green will go under the title Elegance at The Little Art Gallery, Rookwood Road, West Wittering from May 4-23. Her work comes inspired by the turbulent waters of the English Channel.